About the Nonprofit
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Business Impact NW (BINW) is a CDFI and 501 c (3) nonprofit whose mission is to grow businesses that create jobs in underserved communities by providing Lending and Technical Assistance services across the Pacific Northwest. Since 1997, BINW has played a pivotal role in empowering traditionally underserved populations – low-income earners, women, veterans, rural, BIPOC, immigrant and refugee, and members of the LGBTQIA+ community fostering business success and economic growth through business counseling, classes, workshops, and direct access to capital. And in 2022 alone, BINW helped start nearly 100 new businesses, trained or counseled 3,647 entrepreneurs, created and retained 4,521 jobs, and loaned over $15.9 million dollars.
Our innovative strategy to ensure the success of our small business lending is to accompany our loans with this holistic wrap-around support through our Technical Assistance Program. Offerings include:
· Washington Women’s Business Center, a program of Business Impact NW that provides free one-on-one coaching and business educational courses, webinars, and trainings for female entrepreneurs in Washington.
· Alaska Women’s Business Center, a program of Business Impact NW that provides free one-on-one coaching and business educational courses, webinars, and trainings for female entrepreneurs in Alaska.
· Northwest Veteran Business Outreach Center, a program of Business Impact NW in partnership with the SBA that provides free one-on-one coaching and business educational courses, webinars, and trainings tailored for members of the military community in Washington, Oregon, and Idaho.
· Alaska Veteran Business Outreach Center, a program of Business Impact NW in partnership with the SBA that provides free one-on-one coaching and business educational courses, webinars, and trainings tailored for members of the military community in Alaska.
· Food Business Resource Center, which provides free one-on-one coaching and business educational courses, webinars, and trainings tailored for the food industry.
· Loan Readiness Center, which provides free credit counseling, individualized financial education training program, one-on-one coaching, access to financial planning toolkits and resources, a loan application review with guided feedback, and access to capital.
· Oregon MBDA (Minority Business Development Agency) Center, a program of Business Impact NW in partnership with the MBDA to provide short and/or long-term Technical Assistance and consulting to all existing Minority Business Enterprise (MBE) Businesses. Offering development strategies, training and education within various fields; financial management, operations and marketing.
· Square One, a 1.5-hour webinar that covers the steps necessary to start a business, the types of business organizations, how to write a business plan, how and why to conduct market research, information lenders look for when applying for a business loan, and how to develop a cash flow projection plan.
· Launch & Grow - an 8-week SEAP approved course for aspiring and early-phase small businesses owners. This cohort training program includes seven 3-hour sessions plus eight weeks of 1-on-1 business coaching to support small businesses in building a business plan, managing, marketing, and financing a business.
· Grow & Thrive—a twelve-week structured mentor program for established businesses seeking to expand. The course includes an orientation, six expert led three-hour sessions on how to develop a strategic plan with 3–5-year objectives, how to work with current financial statements, operating manuals, and marketing materials.
